Getting rid of redundancies

If you're a fan of Google's Quickoffice apps, download them now while you still can. Google's planning to pull its Quickoffice apps from Google Play and iTunes over the course of the next few weeks, as the company feels they're no longer needed after recently overhauling its Docs, Sheets, and Slides, which are now available as standalone apps rather than being lumped together.

Data mining fears are costing lives, Google's Larry Page says

Google faces an uphill battle if mining healthcare data is on its agenda. There's already a perception out there that Google knows too much, and when you delve into the highly personal sector of healthcare, it's hard to imagine there being much public support. However, Google's Larry Page says that his company could save as many as 100,000 lives next year by mining healthcare data. If true, might that change your mind?

A little box with big ambitions

One of the (many) things Google announced during its opening keynote yesterday at its I/O developer event was Android TV, which is somewhat of an evolution of Google TV. This time around, however, there will be a much bigger focus on gaming, so it's no surprise that Razer already has something up its sleeve. That something is a micro console that Razer plans to release in the fall.

It's shaping up to an Android world

Google's I/O developer conference kicked off today and much of the talk so far has been about Android, Android, and more Android. That's not surprising, or even a bad thing, especially if you're a fan of the open-source platform. Based on the keynote, Google wants to expand Android into just about every facet of your life, from your living room to your car and everywhere in between.

iPhone thefts are down as a result of kill switch technology in iOS 7

One of the debates in the mobile phone industry is whether or not so-called kill switches can actually reduce smartphone theft. Well, early indications suggest that they do. Authorities in New York and San Francisco -- two locations where smartphone theft is a growing epidemic -- say they've seen a drop in iPhone robberies since Apple implemented its Activation Lock feature in iOS 7.

Only the second Android app to do so

Seeing as how Google’s many apps are a staple on most Android devices, it’s not surprising that some of the most downloaded apps on the world’s most popular mobile platform come from the search engine giant’s stable. It was only last month that it became the first company to have an Android app with over 1 billion downloads, and now it has two.

Over 12,000 Europeans invoke ‘right to be forgotten’ on the very first day

In a May 13 ruling, the European Court Of Justice ordered Google to respect what is popularly being called every individual’s “right to be forgotten”, asking it to remove, when requested to do so by its users, all such search results about them that are: “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant, or excessive in relation to the purposes for which they were processed.” The search giant, in a bid to comply with the order, has erected a web page that Europeans can use to write in to claim their right to be forgotten.

Look mom, no steering wheel

Google has been building its own self-driving cars and testing them. According to Google’s official blog, the company has created prototypes that do not have a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal. The reason for the removal of these parts is that Google expects the software and sensors to do all the work.

Another day, another hack

Spotify is the latest company to fall prey to a hacker attack and has launched an investigation into the data breach. Based on initial findings, only one person's data has been accessed, and that information didn't include any password, financial, or payment information. Nevertheless, Spotify says it's erring on the side of caution and plans to roll out an updated Android app, which should show up in Google Play and Amazon Appstore over the next several days.

Google Fiber's approach is the exact opposite of Comcast's

Net neutrality is one of the biggest topics on the web right now, and lest anyone thing it's being overstated, see the spat between Netflix and Comcast. In short, Netflix inked a multi-year agreement with Comcast to ensure that its traffic is pumped into homes at the fastest speed possible to avoid buffering, low quality video, dropouts, and other undesirable effects of slowed connections. Not long after, Netlfix announced it was increasing its subscription by $1 for new subscribers. In other words, it's the customers that ultimately foot the bill when big companies fight, which is why it's refreshing to see Google take a different approach.